Exodus 24:1

And he said unto Moses— Moses was now upon the Mount with the Lord: the meaning, therefore, here must be, that God enjoins Moses respecting his future coming up to the Mount with Aaron, &c. after he had delivered to the people the laws mentioned in the former Chapter s, and confirmed the covenant with them, as is mentioned in the subsequent part of this. These things being done, we find, Exodus 24:9 that Moses, Aaron, &c. ascended the mount, according to the order delivered in these two verses. Houbigant renders and understands these verses differently: Exodus 24:1. He said unto Moses, Come up, thou, &c. Exodus 24:2. And Moses alone came near unto the Lord; but they came not nigh, neither did the people come up with them. He is of opinion, that Moses now went up to the Lord to receive those commands, which, in the third verse, he delivers to the people. Possibly, as Moses, during the delivering the laws in the foregoing Chapter s, was with God in the Mount, see ch. Exodus 20:21 these verses, introductory to the subsequent covenant, may be considered as a repetition; and so the first clause may be rendered, Now, he [the Lord] had said unto Moses, Come up, &c.

Seventy of the elders— Lowman supposes, that these seventy elders were twelve princes of the twelve tribes, and fifty-eight heads of the first families in the twelve tribes. See his Civil Government of the Hebrews, page 76.